Villagers felt more needed to be done in Dunmore

Dunmore, on the edge of the Firth of Forth near Airth, is a popular tourist spot because of its proximity to the Dunmore Pineapple, a folly ranked as “the most bizarre building in Scotland”.

Dunmore, on the edge of the Firth of Forth near Airth, is a popular tourist spot because of its proximity to the Dunmore Pineapple, a folly ranked as “the most bizarre building in Scotland”.

The distinctive stone summerhouse, modelled on the tropical fruit, was built in 1761 by the Earl of Dunmore at a time when pineapples were among Scotland’s most exotic foods. Later, in Victorian times Catherine, Countess of Dundonald, built Dunmore nearby as a ‘model’ village to house estate workers and their families.

It was declared a conservation area eight years ago.

Falkirk Council’s belt tightening budget resulted in it withdrawing cash for summer bedding plants and regular grass cutting in the picturesque village of Dunmore.

The money saving move resulted in the conservation village losing some of its picture postcard look – with the grass not being cut regularly and the mown grass that was cut not being uplifted and left to rot, while flower beds and hanging baskets were left bare.

Dunmore Village Association’s Colin Crabbe said: “The neglect of this Scottish national treasure is nothing short of cultural vandalism.”

It was a sorry sight, but villagers decided to do something about it and restore Dumore to its former green-fingered glory.

Villagers unhappy at the sharp drop in standards organised community fundraising events like “tea on the green” to begin buying flowers for Dunmore and took it upon themselves, giving their money and their time, to go out and water the baskets, weed the flowerbeds and cultivate the plants.

As a bonus, locals have helped to create a new sensory garden on what was once a vacant plot of land near the centre of the village.